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Journey to Magnolia
Continuing from Episode 001 of the Wings of Red arc, '''Journey to Magnolia' continues the story of Wings of Archadia as they travel to Magnolia Town after an old friend once thought dead has resurfaced and attacked band leader, Royce Blixtrande. Buring with questions, Royce is determined to find Johan and understand what has happened to him after all these years.'' A Bad Dream The images jolted Royce in his sleep as they flashed in his mind. First, were of Johan striking him with his fasts. Then everything went white. An image of of Royce and Johan as children slowly came into focus as they played in the streets of the Foundation District. Their voices seemed like distant echoes. Johan turned his head back towards Royce, smiling innocently. Then a violent flash jolted him again and Johan, much older, roared with another punch. Again, everything became white. Again, images of their youth. And again came the attacks. The flashes became more and more intense, coming faster and faster as they progressed. Royce tossed and turned in his bed as the dream continued to assault him. Now, there were images of Royce fighting back. Magical energy coming off both him and Johan as they exchanged another bout of attacks, colliding with one another in a brilliant flash of light. Then came images of blood with Johan staring down at him, grinning psychotically. For one instance, an image of a young Johan replaced this madman standing over Royce. Then came back the older version who now appeared saddened with his eyes open in shock as he clutched his bloody chest. Johan stepped back, with each step flashing further back until he was standing at the edge of the Foundation District. A looming bottomless pit laying behind him. Royce reached out towards him seemingly moving in slow motion as Johan fell back. Royce tried to scream out to him but it was only silence and Johan disappeared into the darkness. The fall shocked Royce out of his sleep and immediately threw himself upright with his hand still reaching out. Except there was only an empty room within his reach. Royce could feel the sweat rolling off his forehead and he slowed his panting. He reach back towards his head and wiped the sweat from his eyes with the back of his hand. Luckily the band's room was actually 3 rooms in one: 2 bedrooms each with 2 beds and a small living room with a couch, coffee table and two chairs. He looked over to the coffee table where a small wind up clock read that it was still early in the morning. Sunlight poured in through the sides of the blackout curtains from the small oval window on the side of the airship's hull. Royce stood up and walked over to the window, one eye still closed as his other adjusted to the light. He pulled the curtain to the side to reveal the vast sea of clouds. High in the sky, the Ray of Pohjola traveled through the air at amazing speeds, creating a low humming sound that was almost soothing. Traveling by airship from Ilmarinen to Magnolia Town would take roughly 3 days, with 2 stops for refueling and disembarking. Only two more days and the band would arrive at Magnolia Town. Royce fussed through his bag and pulled out a pair of weathered black jeans with the knees torn. He threw them and then a red tshirt with a black smiley face on the front. He tied off his black boots and grabbed his room key off the table and headed for the door. They would be serving breakfast in the eating area a level above them and leaving the rest of his band to sleep, he closed the door behind him and headed out. Jubilations While Wings of Archadia traveled through the sky towards Magnolia Town, a young student mage sat in the courtyard of the Antero Academy of Magic. The Academy was a rather expansive campus composed of half a dozen residential houses for students, buildings filled with classrooms, a faculty building and an administration building. The courtyard was right in the middle of the campus. From the main gate, a path led through the courtyard with the administration wrapping around it. Alongside the path hung lanterns that lit up during the night with gardens and grass areas for students to relax in in between classes. Diandra Oskar was only a second year student but already showed promise of being a great mage one day. She sat on a bench near a small fountain with her face buried in the latest edition of Magic and Me. It wasn't uncommon to see Diandra reading. In fact, this is how she spent most of her time in between classes. Ever since she was young, magic had always fascinated her. So it wasn't a surprise that she studied as hard as she did. While many of the students within the academy began their studies as mages by specializing in one type of magic, Diandra wanted to learn it all. But the sheer level of power that a mage needs to possess to be able to tap into those areas was currently beyond her. Instead, she focused on a unique form of magic that could, at the very least, satisfy her desire to understand all forms of magic: Mimic. With this magic, she could copy almost perfectly any spell that she witnesses. As a gifted student, she was easily able to copy spells from her fellow students. Even her professors were amazed by how quickly she could copy these spells. Though complex and powerful spells were more difficult for her. Being able to copy spells earned her the nickname, Copycat Mage, and it came with a sort of stigma. Students didn't take kindly to her ability to copy their spells, believing her to be a thief who couldn't be original. In fact, some students held grudges against her for copying their own original spells that they spent so much time crafting. But her charisma and cheerful personality helped win some of them over. Her best friend, Zoe Kilius, was already talking louder to break Diandra's concentration. She had been so focused on her book that she didn't hear the loud bell chimes signaling the start of her next class: Combat Arts. Zoe stood over her with that pink sweater jacket over her school uniform. Her short light brown hair swept to one side. Her brown eyes wide as she continued to yell. "We're gonna be late, Diandra!" "Oh no!" Diandra exclaimed, smacking herself on the forehead once she saw what time it was the large clock on the face of the administration building. Diandra barely had enough time to grab her backpack as Zoe dragged her across the courtyard towards the large hall where her next class would be. It didn't help that halfway there, she spilled her books on the floor and had to quickly shuffle her loose papers together before they were blown away in the wind. The elderly combat professor was already preparing to close the doors before he caught a glimpse of the two. He merely shook his head in disappointment as he gestured them inside. His robes were dark blue with a large white sash wrapped around his waist. His long white beard draped over the front collar of his black shirt. He scowled towards them with his bushy white eyebrows as Diandra and Zoe sank their heads into their shoulders like scared baby rabbits. "Sorry, professor." They both said sheepishly as they ran past him. Once inside, they took their positions behind the large group of students that comprised the class. They panted as they tried to iron out the wrinkles in their uniforms with their hands. Some of the students in front of them merely turned their heads and rolled their eyes. Their classroom was an expansive hall similar to a gymnasium that would give its students plenty of room when dueling with one another. It had a large oval shaped arena in its center, with raised seats lined around it. The dome shaped ceiling was supported by large wooden pillars, and openings at the top let natural light pour in. Directly above the arena was a large white crystal orb, also known as Lacrima, that stored powerful barrier magic. When activated by the combat professor, it would cast a white transparent light over the entire arena, stopping directly at the edge of the first row of seats. This would protect the audience from any rogue spells and potential harm. The combat professor walked towards the front of the group and raised his hands, signaling the students to cease their talking and to pay attention. "Now that our entire class is here..." A few eyes turned back towards Diandra and Zoe, who again shrunk into their shoulders in embarrassment, "...we can begin your training. Any volunteers?" His eyes searched the crowd. This was how most of these classes started. Combat Arts were mainly classes used to practice and improve spells learned throughout the week, and to test them in actual combat situations. Two students would be chosen to battle each other, while the professor would watch and grade their skills, enginuity and level of improvement. Sometimes four students would be selected and divided into teams of two to test their ability in teamwork. The professor still searched for his first volunteers. A tall boy with short black hair made his way through the crowd. He had a strong frame, even for a student, and was one of the tallest boys in the class. His eyes were slightly closed as he grinned heavily. His face was almost snakelike. He was a strong mage but relied heavily on raw power and not enough on technique. Still, he was a good duelist and everyone knew that this wouldn't be an easy fight. Diandra almost immediately let out a low sound of disgust as she saw the boy. Mevlin Larbi was his name and Diandra especially disliked him. He would often tease her when he saw her and was very vocal about her spell thievery. Anger swelled inside her as she watched him standing there, scanning the crowd for potential punching bags. When no other volunteers stepped up it was the duty of the professor to choose another student at random. After a few moments of looking through the crowd, his eyes fixed on one particular student. "Diandra, will you please come up?" He said in that scholarly tone. All heads turned towards her and her face sank. "M-m-me?" She stuttered with her eyes wide open, almost like a deer caught in headlights. "Yes, you." He said again, waving her to the front of the crowd. Mevlin snickered, "Nice. Get to take care of the spell thief." He said as he cracked his knuckles. Diandra was frozen in place. She hadn't had much practice against students. Sure, her ability to learn and cast spells was impressive, but applying them in real situations against others was something she avoided. Zoe had to give her a strong nudge to get Diandra to move. Zoe whispered a few words of reassurance and Diandra finally started walking. Mevlin kept grinning that awful grin. Diandra Oskar vs Mevlin Larbi Before Diandra knew it, she was standing in the middle of the arena with her entire class and professor looking down at her. Mevlin was standing opposite her, sliding his red fingerless gloves on calmly. Diandra made it a point not to appear nervous or frightened in front of Mevlin. She wouldn't give him the satisfication of intimidating her. Instead, she focused on what she knew about Mevlin and his particular brand of fire magic. She became analytical, using her superior intellect to begin running simulations in her head on what he would do and how he would attack. He likes using fire-enhanced punches for close range so I have keep him at a distance or I'll get crushed. ''She thought to herself. ''But he does have that one beam attack for long range. ''Mevlin got into his fighting stance: a wide stance with one fist in front of him and the other at his side. ''Either way, I'm going to have to use ice magic to counter. Good thing I copied Zoe's Ice-Make. It should help me during this fight. '' The combat professor stood in the audience section, an arm raised towards the orb above the arena. From his palm, a burst of white energy swirled before firing into the orb. Upon contact, the orb cast a white veil of transparent energy that encased the arena, leaving the two duelists inside. "Alright, my students. Show me what you've learned this week." And he sat in his chair, signaling Mevlin and Diandra to begin. Without hesitation, Mevlin raised his arm cast a simple fire spell that shot out from his palm in the form of a stream of fire. Diandra cart-wheeled to one side to avoid the attack and created her own magic seal in her hands. She swung her hands forward, releasing a barrage of red fireballs that showered over Mevlin. He leaped into the air and watched the balls of energy collide against the floor, creating small explosions. He grinned again in a taunting manner and while in the air, he cast magical seals over his fists, instantly igniting them in fire. Once he landed, he immediately lunged forward towards Diandra. She knew that a direct hit from one of his punches could potentially knock her out so she withdrew backwards trying to keep her distance. She continued with her '''Blaze Barrage' spell to force Mevlin back, casting fireballs of red energy at her opponent. Mevlin weaved between each blast as they harmlessly flew past them. The blasts crashed against the protective shield of the arena causing several students to jump back in their seats. Aside from his strong magical casting, Mevlin also possessed equally impressive physical abilities. So it was no surprise that Mevlin was able to move as fast as he did. Once he was withing range, Mevlin leaped into the air with one his fists reeled back. The fire around his fist intensified and thrust his fist towards, releasing a large wave of fire, as he came down on Diandra's location. Wind swirled at Diandra's feet and a sudden updraft lifted her into the air and to safety. Thanks to her wind magic, namely its ability to grant flight, she was able to avoid Mevlin's Corona Crusher '(光環圧砕機, ''Koukan Asaiki) as it struck the floor, detonating in a large explosion. The sheer force of the attack shook the arena and caused the shield around it to ripple. It blew Diandra back, ruffling her hair and skirt and she came crashing back down towards the ground. The combat professor stood from his chair, shouting at Mevlin for disregarding his rules on safety. Zoe gapsed, bring her hand to cover her mouth as she worried for Diandra's safety. Diandra shook her head to regain her senses and immediately cast her wind magic once more to propel herself. She glided across the surface of the arena, circling around Mevlin and cast more blasts of red energy. Mevlin wasn't able to dodge this attack and braced himself from the impact. They detonated all around him as he shielded himself with his forearms. Diandra continued her assault as the wind shot her around her opponent. Mevlin no longer grinned. Instead, he grew increasingly frustrated by Diandra's attacks. She was making him look like a fool. Once he found an opening, he thrust out his open hand and released another stream of fire. Diandra ended the wind spell and slid to a stop. She extended her arms forward with one hand open perpendicular to the floor and the other curled into fist pressed up against the other's palm. From there, a bright pale blue glow shined as cold air gathered in its center. She then cast both palms forward and immediately a tall, thick block of blue ice formed directly in front her, shielding her from Mevlin's attack. It collided with the block and dispersed all around it. The block withstood the attack and Diandra took the opportunity to counterattack once againt. She used the block as a jumping point and leaped into the air with her fist reeled back. Mevlin recongnized the pose as a seal formed around Diandra's fist and fire erupted around her hand. She had copied Mevlin's Corona Crusher and dropped the attack. Mevlin managed to avoid the attack after the initial shock and watched it strike the floor, causing a smaller explosion. He was infuriated by her and let his anger out in a loud roar. "You copied my spell?!" His voice echoed throughout the arena. He charged forward like a wild animal and the two engaged in pure and simple melee combat. Mevlin relied heavily on his size and strength, but Diandra was still an experienced fighter and the two fought against each other. While Mevlin was unable to land a single blow against the more nimble and agile Diandra, she was able to tag him with a few punches and kicks. This only fueled Mevlin's rage and lashed out, creating an opening. Diandra cast another block of ice directly in front of Mevlin, who's face crashed against it, stunning him and leaving him dazed as he stumbled backwards. She took the opportunity to cast another ice-make spell, this one in the form of a giant hammer, that swung around and struck Mevlin against his side. The strength of the attack knocked Mevlin off the floor and slammed him against the wall of the arena. He stuck their for a few moments before slowly sliding down to the floor, which signaled Diandra's victory. She paused briefly, not realizing that she won, and only after Zoe leaped into the air cheering, did Diandra do the same. Like a child, she waved her arms in the air and running around in circles, squeeling and cheering. She ran up towards Mevlin as he laid on the floor seeing stars and struck a victory pose with one fist on her hip and the other pointing at him. "Take that, you jerk." Leaving Without Saying Goodbye Back at Stocks Pub, Nestor was wiping down drinking glasses and setting them up behind the bar counter. It was almost noon, leaving only 2 hours left before he would open to the crowd. In the silence, he was still thinking about his boys and if they were alright, but being as tough as he is, he tried to push the thought out of his mind. He threw his dry rag over his shoulder and grabbed the crate of bottles off the counter when he suddenly heard the sound of a key sliding through the key hole at the front door. It unlocked and creaked as it swung open. Through the door came a young attractive woman with long flowing red hair that matched her red lens sunglasses. Over her shoulders was a long white fur coat that draped over her tight black bodysuit. Normally, this wouldn't be a place for such a prestigious looking individual, but this woman has business here. Here high heeled boots clacked against the dark stained wooden floor. She walked with purpose towards the bar, reaching up to pull off her glasses and whip her hair back. Her fur coat fell off the shoulders and Mina held them together with one hand at her chest. "Hello, Miss Blutbayne." Nestor greeted Mina Blutbayne, Wings of Archadia's manager and agent. Nestor was always taken back by Mina's beauty and tried to be as polite as possible around her to stay within her good graces. "How was your vacation." "It was fine, Nestor." She said quickly and coldly, taking a seat at the counter and gesturing to Nestor for her regular drink: a scotch on the rocks. "Where's Royce? We have to talk about tour dates and booking." Nestor grabbed the cleanest glass he could find, placed three ice cubes in it and poured the drink. "They went to Magnolia Town." Nestor replied and capped the bottle before placing it back on the stand behind him where the other bottles stood. Mina had only managed to place her hand on the glass before Nestor's words hit her, "What?!" She shrieked. "I was never told about them going to Magnolia Town. When did they go? What are they doing there?" She asked in quick succession. Nestor did his best to appear relaxed as any signs of worry would only escalate Mina's anger. "They left just yesterday to look for some guy named Johan Hellstrom." "Who the hell is that?" Mina was clearly annoyed. "He used to be the drummer for Wings of Archadia before you joined and replaced with Allastr." Nestor rested his palms on the counter and tried to keep his eyes from wandering below Mina's face. "From what I gathered, he seemed like a rotten apple hell bent on killing Royce. They tussled outside before he ran away." "So they go after the guy that tried to kill him? I go on vacation for one week and everything falls apart around here." She took the glass and drank her drink in one shot before slamming the glass down on the counter. "How did you let this happen?" "Well you know how the boys are. Impulsive, brash. When they get something in their head, nothing gets in their way." Nestor grabbed the bottle of scotch and popped the cap again to pour Mina another drink. Mina took down the scotch in one shot again. "They're supposed to listen to me." Mina stated with authority. "No one travels without my say so." Clearly, Mina was agitated and Nestor began fearing for any potential damage coming his way. "Nestor, pack your things." Nestor raised an eyebrow from her last statement. "We're going to Magnolia Town." An hour later, Nestor was hastily writing notes to display on the door and windows, letting customers know that Stocks Pub would be closed for the next two weeks. He couldn't believe that Mina convinced him to leave Ilmarinen and head to Magnolia Town. This would be the first time in 20 years that he would be leaving the city. Mina was quickly gathering her things into several suitcases, something Nestor knew he would be carrying. Nestor himself only had one suitecase packed, which he thought was all that was needed. As he nailed the note to the front door, his old brown suit stretched and bunched up around his arms. Nestor never liked wearing suits and the one he was wearing was so old that he was surprised that it still held together. Mina, however, wore a long beautiful black dress with a slit on each side that exposed her legs all the way to her thighs. It fit rather nicely against her slender frame, accentuating her womanly assets. As he stared at her belting the straps on her high heels around her ankles, Nestor carelessly struck his thumb with the hammer, causing him to immediately drop it as he gripped his thumb cursing. Mina merely rolled her eyes and went back to buttoning her coat. "Are you ready to go?" "Almost, Miss Blutbayne. Though, I'm not really happy about leaving this place unattended." Nestor went back to hammering the note on the door. "Don't worry. I've hired some help to come by every so often and make sure everything is alright. Plus, the Silver Guard patrols this area frequently." She whipped her hair back and put on her sunglasses. "Now if you're done clowning around, we have an airship to catch." ---- Diandra hardly had time to savor her victory over Mevlin. He was still being treated for the lump on his head. It would only take a few days for him to heal his wounds, sooner if he chose to be treated by magic. But the psychological wounds of his defeat would take much, much longer. Either way, it didn't matter to Diandra because she was just told some rather disturbing news. Diandra, as she would put it, heard from Zoe, who heard from Rave, who heard from Jenny, who heard from her brother, who heard from a guy working at the docking station, that Wings of Archadia left Ilmarinen to Magnolia Town. Her victory suddenly became less important and she could only focus on the sadness and anxiety she was feeling from her favorite band leaving Wings of Archadia without her knowing. Being the avid fan that she is, as well as the President of the Wings of Archadia Fan Club, Diandra trembled all over, "No, no, no, no!" She squealed. She bounced up and down on each foot like someone who really needed to use the bathroom and shook her head in front of her hands. Zoe, who was also a fan but not to the extent of Diandra, tried her best to comfort Diandra. "Diandra, calm down. I'm sure they're coming back soon." She did her best to seem reassuring, though it didn't seem to take effect. "You don't understand. I never miss a show. And if they're going to Magnolia Town, then it's gotta be a big show." In her moments of histeria, Diandra had a moment of clarity and an idea began forming in her head. Her body stopped shaking and she stared off in the distance as the idea took shape. Zoe almost instinctly knew what she was thinking. "No. No, Diandra. Don't even think about it. We have classes." She said in a stern voice as she circled to stand directly in front of her. "Yeah, and we have a 2 week recess. There's plenty of time for me to go there and see the show." She was now becoming more excited, joy rushing back in her face. Diandra was already planning her trip to Magnolia Town, though convincing her parents would take some finesse. She then looked at Zoe and the figurative lightbulb lit up above her head. Zoe merely looked back confused. "What?" "Well, we can tell my parents that I'm staying with you for the break and you can cover for me. That way I can go to the show and no one will be the wiser." Diandra flashed a smile as though she had come up with something extremely clever. Zoe groaned. "That's probably the worst idea that you ever came up with." She crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. "Seriously, Diandra, you're the smartest person I know, but sometimes you come up with the dumbest ideas." ---- Mina and Nestor stood on the platform as the airship docked at the station. Steam shot out the small port holes on the side of its hull in small gysers of white smoke. As the steam hovered over the platform quickly, Nestor gripped his brown fedora to keep it from blowing away. He peaked over at Mina who was holding her hair in place with one hand while the other held her dress in place. Nestor noticeably stared at her exposed leg as the slit in her dress went up and ended near her waist. Suddenly Nestor felt an abrupt thud against his body followed by another against the floor. When he turned around to see what had happened, he saw Diandra on the ground rubbing the back of her head grumbling to herself. Nestor worried for her safety and quickly bent forward to help her up, extending an arm out. Mina didn't even budge and continued looking forward towards the airship as the hatch unhinged from its side and started opening. As Diandra was hoisted on her feet by Nestor, she dusted herself clean with her free hand. She wiped the dirt off her blue pleated mini skirt while Nestor picked up her heavy backpack. "Sorry about that, young lady." Nestor said in an out of character sincere tone. Nestor was known for being a grouch most of the time, except when around attractive females. Then he tried his best to seem gentlemanly and wellmannered. He helped pat down her clothes for more dust and before he could glance his hand across her behind while Diandra was distracted, Mina gave him a solid slap to the back of the head immediately stopping him. "Nestor, stop helping." Mina said sternly, giving him a glare over her lowered sunglasses. The on ramp was placed against the open hatch and its crew signaled that it was safe for passengers to board. "Make yourself useful and grab the bags." Mina said without looking at Nestor and began walking towards the stairs. Nestor did his best to grab onto Mina's luggage, holding one in each hand while two were tucked under his arms. Diandra tried to be polite and grabbed Nestor's one suitcase and wheeled it up towards the airship as the three boarded for Magnolia Town. "Where you guys heading?" Diandra tried to make polite conversation as she struggled to carry Nestor's suitcase up the ramp. The wind running through the station was particularly strong and she could feel her hair whipping all over the place as she looked back at Nestor who walked up each step painfully slow. A few times she could hear the old man yelping as one of Mina's suitcases began sliding out of his grip. The rest of passengers trying to board waited impatiently behind him, with a few voicing their frustration. "Magnolia Town." He cringed when he missed a step and almost tumbled backwards, luckily catching himself at the last second. "Oh really? That's where I'm heading, too." Diandra smiled as she rested the suitcase at the top of the stairs. "I'm going to see my favorite band in all of Fiore: Wings of Archadia." She said with delight and tugged on the straps of her backpack to readjust it on her shoulders. "Is that so?" Nestor tried speaking in between grunts as he shuffled his way through the hatch. "Yup!" Diandra squeeled. "I've listened to all their songs and never miss a show. I think Zander is so hot! But Royce is kinda cute, too!" Diandra seemingly went on without Nestor replying. Last thing Nestor wanted was to answer a barrage of questions, especially from a spunky teenager who would probably keep badgering him about Wings of Archadia. Mina had already disappeared towards the area where the passengers private quarters were so it left Nestor to deal with Diandra. "This is going to be a long trip." He said with a deep sigh. Storm Clouds The Ray of Pohjola ''was a large airship, holding nearly 400 passengers and several dozen crew members. It was broken down into 4 floors. The upper deck was reserved for dining and recreational activities, such as sight seeing and several floor games that the elderly enjoyed playing. The deck immediately below that was for the passengers and their rooms. Underneath that was the cargo area and luggage storage, as well as any magical vehicles or large equipment that was being transported. And the final deck below all others was the maintenance and engine rooms where the powerful magic generators pumped energy into the turbines that lifted the ''Ray of Pohjola into the air. And controlling the airship was the bridge, a large tower protruding from the top of the airship where the Captain and his crew navigated it through the skies. Royce found himself at the front of the ship staring out the tiled glass that overlooked the clouds, leaning against the safety rail with his forearms resting on top and him slightly hunched over. The rest of Wings of Archadia were busy having lunch in the dining area behind him. He could hear the group chatting and laughing as they ate. He wasn't particularly hungry and instead kept looking ahead towards the grey clouds forming. Instinctually, a spark of yellow electricity ran from his hand and up his arm before dispersing into the air around him. "Something on your mind?" Roffe asked after silently walking up to Royce. "You know the answer to that." Royce responded without breaking his gaze. "What do you hope to find in Magnolia Town, Royce? I can't imagine this is going to be a happy ending from what Jakko's been telling us about this guy." Roffe leaned against the rail with his back to the window. He watched the band eating while Clyde made some sort of joke that sparked a laugh in Jakko. "Is it true Johan killed a few people?" Roffe asked almost hesitantly. "I don't want to talk about it, Roffe." Royce reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a wrinkled pack of cigarettes and tapped the bottom against his palm. He flicked his wrist and a single cigarrette flicked outward above the rest. Royce pulled it out of the pack with his lips and pocketted the rest. "You can't keep bottling everything. Its eventually going to get to a point where its gonna burst." Roffe did his best to offer some advice to Royce but he knew that it was falling on deaf ears. Royce's eyes flashed yellow and an arc of electricity flickered across the edge of his cigarette, lighting it instantly as he drew in a breath. He blew out a slow and steady stream of grey smoke and suddenly he could see and hear rain drops hitting against the glass. The grey clouds were forming quickly, causing lightning to fight against one another as the storm began to form. Roffe turned his head to look out the window. "Funny. I thought the weather report said that it should be smooth sailing all the way to Magnolia. Just then, the captain's voice echoed over the airship through the speakers above them. "Ladies and Gentlemen, can I have your attention? This is your captain speaking. Due to unforseen weather conditions, we will have to make an emergency landing at the nearest station and wait until the weather passes. The crew and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and we will inform you immediately if there is any change. In the meantime, if you could please prepare for landing. Thank you." Immediately, the sounds of groans and discontent could be heard from the other passengers as they shuffled their napkins and threw them on their tables. The group had just made it to their room when they could feel the airship begin descending into the clouds. A bout of turbulence caused it to shake and dip suddenly, Clyde gripped the doorframe as he stepped through, a sudden flash of panic on his face. "What's the matter, Clyde? Scared?" Jakko said teasingly as he pushed him through the door. "Shut it, Jakko." Those were the only words he managed to say as he carefully walked through the room. The turbulence became more violent now, causing the ship to rock back and forth. The storm must have been quite strong to cause the ship to act in this manner. Jakko walked up to the side window and could the flashes of lightning through the gray clouds and beads of rain leaving diagonal streaks against the window. "Wow, this is some kind of storm." ---- Standing at the heart of the storm, a man draped in gold and black robes stood on a cliff, chanting in a whisper as white energy swirled in his palms. The energy cast a glow on his elderly face, making his white beard almost luminescent. Once his chant was complete, he threw his hands up, creating a large white Magic Seal, and the energy flew into the gray clouds causing another bout of lightning to rip through the air. Off in the distance he could see the Ray of Pohjola ''descending from the clouds, heading towards the nearest station that allowed a ship of its size to dock in. "Tell Lord Black that they are landing near Mt. Hakobe as directed." He ordered as he looked at the airship heading towards the mountain range. Hiding in the shadows of the mountain side, a blonde woman in black squatted on a thick limb of an old twisted tree like a cat. She grinned sadistically as she flung her hand through the air and cast a series of thin, almost invisible wires that attached themselves to something off in the distance. Once secure, she yanked herself into the air and disappeared like the wind, leaving the elderly man to observe the storm. ''> Continued in Making an Entrance Summary Fights & Events *'Diandra Oskar vs Mevlin Larbi '(Diandra wins) Magics, Spells & Abilities Used *'''Magics: **'Mimic' (擬態 (ミミック), Mimikku) **'Fire Magic' (火の魔法 Hi no Mahō) *'Spells:' **Unnamed fire stream attack **Unnamed fireball attack **'Corona Crusher '(光環圧砕機, Koukan Asaiki) **'Blaze Barrage' (炎弾幕, Homura Danmaku) **'Flight' (飛翔, Hishou) **'Ice-Make: Block' (氷の造形魔法 • 岩塊, Kōri no Zōkei Mahō: Gankai) **'Ice-Make: Hammer' (氷の造形魔法 • 槌, Kōri no Zōkei Mahō: Tsuchi)